Nautica was founded in 1983 by David Chu. He designed a collection of men's outerwear that was visionary in its seamless working together of fashion with new technologies of fibers and fabrics. He chose the name Nautica to identify a concept that is timeless and evolutionary in scope and to reflect a lifestyle of energy, activities and fitness. In 1984, Nautica was acquired by State-o-Maine, which is now known as Nautica Enterprises, Inc. The collection was expanded to include men's activewear and sportswear including colognes and perfumes such as Latitude Longitude, Nautica and Nautica Competition.